Thank you, Keng Ho, this is a pleasant surprise. Let's see, what can I tell you about me?

Gaming has always been a part of my life. I remember the usual stuff: Malefiz, Top Trumps, Snakes and Ladders (my grandparents had a beautiful old version called Semper Avanti – got to check where that ended up), some Monopoly and Clue, Risk, Connect Four, Oil Great Adventure , The Game of Life and quite a few more, as well as several fun games only played during children's birthday party (such as the chocolate eating game with hat, gloves, knife, fork etc. - is this well known everywhere or just a German tradition? I would be happy to supply the rules...) and so on. All this was in elementary school or even before.

As I grew older, I learned some traditional card games, such as a little Skat which I never grew too fond of, some Doppelkopf (Double Sheepshead), which I liked more, Rummy, Fahrstuhl (the ancestor of Rage and Wizard), Arschloch (the ancestor of Karriere Poker and The Great Dalmuti) and (this might have been earlier, actually) Tripoley (known to me as Poch, one of the ancestors of Poker), which I recently re-discovered and re-learned (with some rules I hadn't known before and which really spice up the game). My grandparents also had a wonderful old Poch board, around 100 years old, with dried beans (not much younger, I think) as the currency.

At some time during elementary school, I started inventing games with my friend, too. The earliest I can remember was a kind of stock market game. Here's the rules: We wrote down a number of company names and each of us got some „money“. Each of us would buy some shares of companies. Then we took two different colored dice and rolled for each company. We deducted one die from the other, the result was the change in value of each share. Then we paid our losses and cashed in our gains. Repeat for hours. There were some other inventions, but usually we just modified existing games.

When I visited the States in early 1986, I stayed at home while my friend who hosted me went to school. In his bookshelf, I found a roleplaying book, some piece of D&D or something. I read it and had no clue what it was about. My friend explained it to me and gave me a small pouch of dice, because I was convinced they would be hard to come by in Germany. Later that year, there was a roleplaying convention in Bremen (where I grew up) and I went, met someone from school and a new passion was born that continued for over ten years. Starting with complex rules, I eventually played rule-less roleplaying (or, when I didn't find anyone for that, at least games where only the game master knew the rules, character sheets and so on). Enjoyed that much, but later there was no more time for it. Boardgames never ceased to interest me, and I had time to play some stuff that are almost impossible now with a little kid around: Time Agent, Blood Royale, Civilization, Junta, Diplomacy and so on. An outdoor game I would really like to recollect the rules of was called Kibbel-Kabbel (played with a long and a short stick (Kabbel and Kibbel) and a hole in the ground. Does anyone know that?

Then Tichu came into my life. I have played much, much of that, it remains my favorite game. I have organized more than 20 Tichu tournaments – the next one will be a Tichu picnic this Saturday ( http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/429780). But I am always happy to try out something new.

Another thing I need to mention is my passion for play-by-mail games. I started this in 1986 when real letters were sent around. That was fun, and I had the great luck to play Star Skipper for almost all the time it existed, the greatest PBM I have ever seen. Some who played that are my friends until now. Of those activities, only KSK is left, one of the oldest PBM magazines in Germany which I have been playing in for over 200 issues now (since 1996 maybe?). Each year, we donate some money to afford our own booth in Essen, which serves as a gathering and storage point („die teuerste Messegarderobe“ - „the most expensive closet on the fair“).

During a severe illness of a close family member in 2007/2008, I needed some distraction from hospital life, so I joined Reinhold Wittig's community college class „Inventing games – how do you do that?“ That was a really, really good idea. Within a few weeks, Edition Perlhuhn had accepted my first prototype, Pari, for publication (circulation 100). Producing it was fun, and while some things could have turned out better, I wouldn't want to miss the experience. The basic idea of the second game, Omba, was invented within about 45 minutes. Of my third game, Schiebung, I have handmade around 50 pieces, two of which are currently tested by two German publishers, one medium company and one really, really big one. Keep your fingers crossed. Several new ideas are in my head or in my drawer, but with my daughter around and a second kid coming up soon, I am short on time.
As a side effect, I have joined Edition Perlhuhn as a hobby/job. It has been a tremendous inspiration for me, and I have fulfilled my dream of working in the industry, although not full time or even close to it.
While I had joined bgg a while ago, I was rather passive for a long time. Then I discovered how many Perlhuhn games were missing from the database and added them. Then I discovered how many games in general were missing and added some whenever I could. And then I discovered that this is my favorite online community, and did other things... you know me from chit chat or my recent attempts at running the Zettelspiel ( http://boardgamegeek.com/thread/427407).
In fall, I usually work for Amigo in Essen, explaining games. This year, I will be one of the people with an „I explain games in English“ badge or something. You are welcome to look out for me there (only Saturday/Sunday this year, though).

There's more, but I don't want to bore you. Ask all you want, though!

And here are my two truths and one lie:

1. During my first driver's licence exam, I was involved in a minor collision with a van. The examiner offered to let me continue after dealing with the formalities (because I was completely innocent), but I was too nervous and decided I'd rather go through with it a week later (still nervous, but there were no more incidents).

2. The younger brother of the Dalai Lama spent a night at my girlfriend's place and we drank wine together while we chatted about his youth, politics and life in general.

3. I have spent a night in hotel room with a dead sheep (skinned and beheaded) in the bathroom. .

Let's start off with a few penetrating questions:

1) What are your favourite kind of dice?

2) Could you tell us more about Edition Perlhuhn and the kinds of games it publishes? Where would their games be available outside of Germany?

3) What sort of games are usually played by German school children (you've mentioned some games, which may be what was played with your family at home; what about at school?)?

4) What is this chocolate eating game you speak of? (inquiring minds wish to know)

5) Tell us a little about the city you stay in, and where one would go to find nice games to buy. Does it have any nice flea markets?

Hoi Hilko, GRATZ! and do YOU also have some like 'moi' that Keng Ho Pwee doesn't?

Congratulations.

Tell us about your "Organ Donor" microbadge... you have it displayed right up front with your avatar.

Congratulations!!!

I found your game ratings to be interesting. I don't know the last time that I looked at the games that someone has rated and found more games that I have never heard of. You even have a Time Agent microbadge. Could you tell us a little more about why the games you've rated are some of the more obscure games and why you don't have Agricola, and more of the games from BGG's top 100 in your collection? It sounds like you're not in the camp that believes that boardgame design has been totally revolutionized in the last 10 years and everything prior is obsolete.

One of your favorite games is Blood Royale. I've got this and would like to get it to the table. What should I be telling my gaming group about this game to get them to give it a try. What is it about the game that appeals to you and makes it a favorite?

Also could you tell us about one obscure game that is relatively easy to obtain that you think that more people should be aware of and try?

Lastly you are one of the four people who have the silver game submitter microbadge. how many games does one need to submit to earn the copper and silver microbadges? Did you have to ask Lajos for it, or was it automatically sent to you?

Congratulations Hilko! You have such a unique name. Is it common in Europe? Germany?

Me thinks your Tichu plays might be off a little since you only have 5 logged

I have been thinking about getting this game but don't know if my friends would go for it. Since you are obviously an expert share if you would why this game is so well liked by you.

Enjoy your week in the spotlight, Hilko!

A few questions...

* How many people subscribe to the English language edition Perlhuhn group?

* You give Yellowstone Park one of its highest ratings. What do you see in the game that others (myself included) haven't?

* You also give a very high rating to Sitting Ducks Gallery, which has been on the outskirts of my radar since I had the chance to meet Keith a few years back. What makes the game a winner, in your opinion?

* What's your experience with Um Krone und Kragen? I've found it very enjoyable with 2 or 3; I'm curious if you played it only with more, or if it just didn't click with you.

Question:

What is your favorite and least favorite game mechanic? And why?

[...] also something called Schwimmen ("swimming") that I don't remember too well, but I remember you were out after losing your third "life".

Glückwunsch und Grüße aus Göttingen nach Göttingen

BTW, the children game with the chocolate is a typical party game for birthday parties. Nothing you play on a regular basis. And in my days there was a variant where you put the chocolate bar on a plate with flour and no hands allowed. This was messy and not very tasty.

Congratulations for getting GotW!



Sadly I don't remember the rules myself, but doing a quick websearch I found an article about Schwimmen on Wikipedia. There is an english version about the game on Wikipedia, too, but the german one is more detailed (In most cases this is the other way around).

I remember having played the game on some occasions in school and can only affirm the games you've mentioned that are played in school from what I remember.

Congrats, Hilko!

Here we go, with some Pivot:

1. What is your favourite word?
2. What is your least favourite word?
3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually or emotionally? (or, what's your favourite drug?)
4. Whom would you put on a new currency bill?
5. What sound or noise do you love?
6. What sound or noise do you hate?
7. What is your favourite curse word?
8. What profession would you not like to do?
9. If reincarnation exists, in the form of which plant, tree, or animal would you like to return?
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

To which I'll add:

11. I also grew up with Malefiz. Nostalgia aside, why is it still worth playing?
12. Why is Affentheater the best game with monkeys?
13. Have you ever found an English translation to be an improvement on the original German release?
14. Thanks for sporting the organ donor badge. Can you also tell us a little about the "I power my home with renewable energy" badge? Is this something living in Germany makes fairly easy for you? Did you have to make it happen?

I *really* hope #3 is the lie, as much for the others to be true than the horror of it.